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  • Fr. Terry Grachanin will be installed as pastor at St Noel Church by Bishop Nelson Pérez, on Sunday June 30th. at the 11:00 Mass. A reception will follow in St. Noel's Banquet Center. All are welcome!

God’s in Love with This World

May 26, 2019   Click on the left end of the black bar to play/pause

May 26, 2019
John 14:23-29
Fr. George Smiga

For twenty-eight years I have stood here on almost every weekend to lead us in prayer and to break open God’s Word. Many of you here have heard me preach hundreds of times, and we have spoken about many things. But what shall we speak of today, on this last day we are together? Today we should speak about what is most important. Today we will speak about God, because our faith rests not on our actions but on God’s actions, our freedom depends not on our mercy but on God’s mercy, our hope derives not from our love but from God’s love.

The reason we believe, the reason St. Noel exists as a parish community is to proclaim that God is real and that God is with us. Jesus says this today in the gospel. He says that he and the Father love us and they will come and dwell with us. God dwells with us! That truth is not always obvious. But whenever we can see it and claim it, it changes everything. It allows us to be so much more thankful for our life, our family, our friends. It gives us strength so that we can face loss, sickness, and pain. It gives us hope that, no matter how compromised our lives may be, we carry the promise of joy for all eternity.

So in the most fundamental way it is not about me. It is not about you. It’s not even about us. It is about God dwelling with us. And if over the time I have been your pastor I have been able to help you see that mystery more clearly and claim it more deeply, then I am content.

God is real. God is with us. And since that is the truth, it makes some sense to end like this:

[This song follows:]

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I say to myself God’s in love with this world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I say to myself God’s in love with this world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They’re really saying I love you

I hear babies cry, I’ve watched them grow
They’ll learn much more than I’ll never know
And I say to myself God’s in love with this world.

And I say to myself God’s in love with this world.

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